Thirty-three acres of Daytona track surface will be repaved

Evidence of just how big of a deal it is to repave Daytona International Speedway can be found off the second turn of the historic track. It’s there, where Lane Construction has built an asphalt plant to supply the 50,000 tons of pavement that will be laid down over the next five to six months. In all, 1,435,000 square feet of the actual 2.5-mile racing surface plus skid pads, the track apron and pit road will receive seven inches of new asphalt atop the speedway’s original lime rock base that was put down in 1958. The 43 pit stalls on the 1,600-foot pit road, which will be widened from 50 to 64 feet, will be paved with concrete. The job is estimated to cost about $20 million. The cost to build the speedway, which opened in 1959, was $3 million. — Florida Today

Jimmie Johnson thinks he’s thought of as soft

One thing struck me that Jimmie Johnson said after the race and it was this: “I don’t want people to think, “Oh, I can knock the 48 out of the way because he’s not going to wreck me. That’s the last thing I want people to think.” Now, I understand in what seems to be a season of conflict between drivers, one guy is going to do what the other did to him but I find it interesting that the four-time champion believes he’s viewed as soft with his competitors and needed to step up. — Virginian-Pilot

Dale Jr. closing in on Chase spot?

With his third straight finish of 11th or better, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making a serious run to capture a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Earnhardt’s eighth-place finish allowed him to close within three points of Carl Edwards , who is currently holding the 12th position in the standings. The top 12 after 26 races will make the Chase. There are nine races left to set that field. “The car was excellent the first half of the race and then we sort of struggled with it the last half of the race, but we still had a good finish,” he said. “It still was a competitive car. But it was really good about the one-third mark of the race. “I think it is a good start to a turning point.” — Charlotte Observer

Earnhardt Jr. Daytona track was getting past its prime

Dale Earnhardt Jr., perennially the sport’s most popular driver, espouses an opposite approach on the Daytona 500 track. “I think it’s a good choice to put a new surface down,” Earnhardt told reporters. “The old surface was kinda getting past its prime. The sooner we get a new surface down, it can get some weather on it and the sooner we get a new race track everybody wants. “It’s one of the most popular and important tracks on our circuit and I’m glad to see it get a face lift. By the time we get back there (next year), it should be a good-looking surface.” — Florida Today

Carl Edwards likes Daytona surface

“I love the surface of this race track,” driver Carl Edwards told reporters about the current Daytona surface. “I think it is one of the neatest tracks we go to because there are bumps and slick spots and spots that have a little more banking. There is a lot going on out there. I grew up racing at dirt tracks and that is how it was. There was always a hole you didn’t want to run through and always a little grip somewhere else. I will miss this surface when they repave it. I like the dynamic race tracks like this. The bumpier and rougher and slicker they are the better.” — Florida Today

Tony Stewart in position for Chase

After a slow start to the season, Tony Stewart suddenly is finding himself back in the thick of contending for wins. Stewart, who started 25th and had a pit-road miscue with fuel, fought from the back and finished second - his fourth consecutive finish of ninth or better and fifth out of the past six races. He appears in good position to make the Chase, occupying ninth place in the standings and 141 points ahead of 13th place. “I’m proud. We started in the back; worked our way to the front and on the first (pit) stop didn’t get fuel into it so we had to keep short pitting on the long green (flag runs) there,” he said. “We gained some track position and then we’d lose it when the guys on fresh tires would run us down.” — Charlotte Observer

NASCAR president Mike Helton lets Indy Car laps before race

With a boost from NASCAR president Mike Helton, an Indy car returned to New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday for the first time since 1998. Track general manager Jerry Gappens had to get Helton’s approval for Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti to make three laps during the prerace ceremonies for NASCAR’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301. That came after the formal announcement the Izod IndyCar Series would race on the 1.058-mile oval on July 31, 2011, and to let fans know tickets go on sale today. Helton’s permission came with a condition. “He said, ‘Tell Dario not to crash or blow an engine and mess up our racetrack,’ ” Gappens said. Mission accomplished. “A flat track, one mile, it’s going to be fun,” Franchitti said of New Hampshire, where CART ran from 1992-95 and IndyCar from 1996-98. “I think we’ll put on a hell of a show here.” — Indy Star

Hamlin ‘experiment’ goes awry

Denny Hamlin had won three of five races and appeared on a roll but two subpar performances have left him scratching his head. After a 34th-place finish at Sonoma, Hamlin struggled to 14th Sunday. “We just ran terrible. None of the words are going to be able to describe our weekend,” Hamlin said. “We tried some different stuff to try to get better for September because we finished second here last fall. “We experimented with some stuff, but it just didn’t work here.” Hamlin and Johnson now are tied for wins (five each). If they were to end that way at the start of the Chase, Johnson would get the No. 1 seed by virtue of more second-place finishes (one to Hamlin’s zero). — Charlotte Observer

Did You Know?

The first Daytona 500, the first major race run at what was then brand new Daytona International Speedway in 1959. It wasn’t declared official until three days later thanks to a photo finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. realized racing was as much about the promotion as the action on the track and that singular decision set NASCAR on a path it still trods today. — Florida Today

How About That?

For the third time in the last seven races Roush Fenway Racing has failed to place any of its four cars in the top 10. — Virginian-Pilot